Please Understand
by pgasniper
Summary: A few Smashers recall their experiences with Satoru Iwata.


_Video games are meant to be just one thing. Fun. Fun for everyone!_  
~ Satoru Iwata

* * *

The Smash Mansion was somber. Everyone was just walking around weakly and drained of any life. Today's matches had been canceled, and it would most likely stay canceled for the rest of the week. The news was sudden and out of nowhere to them. After a match, Master Hand had just gathered everyone together.

"I have some bad news," he started. "Mr. Iwata has passed away due to a bile duct growth."

The only sound afterwards came from Dr. Mario, who had just pounded his fist against the wall in frustration. The other Smashers just looked on and tried to digest the words.

For some, it hit much closer and harder than others. The normally joyous Kirby was a complete and total wreck, and wasn't even bothering to eat anything.

Many of the original 12 were also equally devastated. After all, if it wasn't for him, they would have never come together as the Smashers. Some of the older Smashers had toasted a drink to him.

Even those who were in the Smash Mansion as guests: Sonic, Pac-Man, Ryu, and Mega Man couldn't help but be saddened. "Hey!" Sonic shouted, running up to Mario. "I know in the past we've had our differences, and haven't always got along, but I just wanted to tell you that he was a great man, and I'm sorry for your loss. He was a good person."

Mario just smiled. "Thanks Sonic. Coming from you that means a lot."

But perhaps the one who was taking it the hardest was Ness. Ness was just plain devastated, he was even more of a wreck than Kirby. He had locked himself in his room and was just crying. Lucas stood there, at his best friend's side, comforting him the only way he knew how. "It's okay, let it all out." Lucas said, patting him on the back. Of course he was sad too, but right now, his friend needed the support, he needed to be there for him.

Ness just continued to cry. In the back of his head, Lucas was finding it a bit odd that he was one of the few Smashers with experience with this, but now wasn't the place or time for his observations.

He had known of the person that they had been told had passed away. The story goes way back when the first tournament was being set up, as one of the two major people behind it, he helped with many of the behind the scenes things, programing the technology that they used for the fights. Even during the second tournament, it was this person who had gotten his hands dirty three weeks before it was supposed to start, and worked endlessly when it almost looked like it was going to have to be delayed.

Even in the third and fourth tournament, he was a major sponsor and was always there to support the Smashers.

"He was just like an uncle!" Ness sobbed out. "He was like my family."

"It's okay Ness, it's okay." Lucas repeated.

For the first time in a while Ness actually looked up at Lucas. "How do you do it?" He asked. "How do you forget this pain?"

"You don't." Lucas replied. "You never can, you just learn how to live with it, and accept what has happened. Not a day goes by where I don't miss my mother or brother. I'm here for you."

Ness just broke down crying once again. This time he just hugged Lucas, and buried his face into his shirt. This included the unfortunate side effect of Ness using Lucas' shirt as a tissue. Lucas did his best not to cringe, and just endured it. Ness needed him more right now than he needed to be clean.

"I'm here for you." Lucas repeated.

Ness caught his breath, and seemed to regain his composure. He just sat down on his bed, and patted for Lucas to sit beside him. Lucas obliged.

"He was always there for me." Ness said. "For my game. There were times when it looked like it wasn't going to happen. But he redid all the coding from scratch and managed to make it work."

"From everything I've heard about him, he sounds like a great guy." Lucas replied.

"Yeah," Ness said. "He really was like an uncle."

There was a few moments of silence, broken up only by the odd sob that Ness had. Eventually he turned to his friend. "Lucas, I have a question, and please be truthful."

"Of course." Lucas said.

"Is the hardest part over?" He asked.

Lucas just shook his head. "No, I'm sorry." he replied.

Ness just looked down grimly. "When is that?"

"I think it's different for everyone. But for me, it was when we were all standing at my mother's grave, after we finished burying her, and then after a few minutes everyone else just walked away." Lucas replied.

Ness rubbed his eyes and nodded. "You'll be there for me through it all, right?"

Lucas just nodded. "Yes, of course. Now, come on, let's go get something to eat, okay?"

"I don't feel that hungry." Ness said.

Lucas nodded. "I know, but you need to get something into your system. Besides, you're not alone in your grief, you should talk to the others. Come on."

Reluctantly Ness followed behind Lucas. At the very least, Lucas was glad that Ness was no longer in his room. They made their way down to the kitchen and there were several other Smashers there getting coffee or tea. Mario and Luigi had their hats off, and were just drinking coffee from some mugs.

"And after he went out of his way to help run the Year of Luigi." Luigi cried. "I can't believe he's gone."

"I know bro." Mario replied.

"He believed so much in me." Luigi cried.

Mario looked up and saw Ness, and immediately rushed over to him. "Ness, are you okay?"

"No." Ness replied.

"I see. Well, I'm glad that you at least are out of your room to eat some food." Mario said. "Please join us."

Ness just nodded. They sat down and just drank some coffee. Plenty of the older Smashers were rather surprised that Lucas and Ness drank coffee. There had also been some sandwiches prepared before hand, so they just began to munch on that.

It was just silent, a word that never should be used to describe the Smash Mansion, Lucas thought. If it was silent, something was wrong, even at 3 in the morning it was never silent.

Two more people walked into the kitchen. One was the smasher Red, the other, no one recognized. The newcomer had a black and yellow hat, that was currently turned back. A red and white hoodie, what looked like a watch on his wrist, and yellow and black shorts.

Red seemed to pick up on everyone's confusion. "Everyone, this is my friend Gold." Red said introducing the newcomer.

He just looked a bit overwhelmed by everyone looking at him.

"Relax." Red said, giving him a reassuring pat on the back. "We're not going to bite."

"Yeah." Gold laughed nervously.

"Tea, coffee?" Mario offered.

Red and Gold took some tea, and just sat down at the table.

"Sorry about everything being like this." Mario apologized. "Everyone has just been out of it because of the news."

"I understand." Gold replied, taking a sip of his tea. "It was actually because of Mr. Iwata that I was able to meet Red."

Everyone just looked at Gold a bit shocked. "Really!?"

"Yeah." Gold replied.

"I'd like to hear this story." Mario said.

"Well, I got a call from Professor Elm, and I went to his lab." Gold explained. "He was the professor that gave me my first Pokemon, anyways, with Professor Elm was Mr. Iwata, and he handed me a ticket to the S.S. Aqua because I had beaten the Elite Four and he wanted to see how much further I could go. I got to the S.S. Aqua, and it took me to Kanto, where I eventually climbed Mt. Silver and met Red up top. We fought, and became best friends after that."

"More like I just put up with you." Red joked.

"Hey, come on, you don't mean that!" Gold replied, laughing.

Red just smirked. "Your right." Gold just smiled in response. "Mr. Iwata also set up some of the Pokemon Stadiums and helped organize the gym leader castle event. Without him, those tournaments probably wouldn't have taken place. He was a great man."

Ness had finished his cup of coffee and excused himself. Lucas quickly followed. "Are you feeling better?" Lucas asked after he had caught up with Ness.

"A bit, thanks." Ness said.

"That's good." Lucas smiled. "Besides, I don't think he would want us to cry over his death. I think he would want us to celebrate his life and accomplishments."

Ness just glanced over at his friend. "Yeah, you're right." he smiled, although weakly. "Let's go play some balloon fight!" The two just walked through the Smash Mansion, eventually sneaking into Villager's room to play on his NES.

* * *

 _Even if we come from different sides of the world, speak different languages. Even if we eat too many chips, or riceballs. Even if we have different tastes in games. Every one of us, here today, is identical. In the most important way._  
 _Each one of us has the heart of a gamer._

~ Satoru Iwata

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **This is my tribute for Satoru Iwata. He may not of been the creator of the characters, but his involvement as a programer was still important, and the things that he has done for Nintendo both as a programmer and as its president is amazing.**

 **It's hard to believe that he's gone. For me, and I'm sure many other people, it came completely out of nowhere. Even knowing that what he had was extremely serious, and that the survival rate was low, it still blindsided me. This is really the first 'celebrity' death that has really effected me. I'm going to miss his Iwata Asks, and his appearances in Nintendo Directs. His unique humor.**

 **I feel like this is all I can write at the moment. I'm still shaken a bit. The next Nintendo Direct is really going to hurt, and is probably going to be the part where it really hits.  
**

 **There might of been something else I could have done with Lucas, considering he was involved with the N64 versions of Mother 3, but I wanted Lucas to be there comforting Ness.**

 **Reference Notes:**

 **Ness: Mother 2/EarthBound would not have existed in the form we know today if it wasn't for Iwata. He recoded the entire game.**

 **Smash Bros: It was started in his and Sakurai's spare time. For Melee, he joined the debugging team three weeks before the game was supposed to launch so they didn't have to delay it.  
**

 **Pokemon: There was so much he did for Pokemon. Helping with the localization for Red/Blue. He ported the battle system for Pokemon Stadium in a week. Created some compression tools.**

 **On that note: The S.S. Aqua ticket: that wasn't exactly how it happened in G/S/C/HG/SS (It's been a while, but I think it was Professor Elm that gave the ticket). But, in real life because Iwata made the compression tools that compressed Johto, they were able to put Kanto into the game, so I figured the spirit was the same.**

 **Balloon Fight: A game that Iwata had programmed for. Also in Animal Crossing for the gamecube as one of the NES games.**


End file.
